Kindness from those around us

                                       Kindness from those around us

         We were attending a production of Agatha Christie’s “Mousetrap,” at the Gulfshore Theater in Naples, with friends Mike and Lynn Holbus. In that I was still recovering from knee replacement  surgery, I required the use of a cane to get around.

Our kindly friend Mike Holbus dropped us off in front of the Theater and went off to leave the chariot in a nearby parking garage. Lynn, Mary and I made our way into the crowded lobby of the new theater. It was a Wednesday afternoon Matinee, so the crowd was mostly elderly. We were all nattily attired and looking forward to seeing this clever production that had been running in London continuously for the last seventy years.

Mary, Lynn and I were waiting  for husband Michael. People all around us were chatting and happy to be there. I was leaning on the walking cane for support, when a gracious eighty something woman, stood up from a nearby chair, approached us and  offered me her seat. I have done much the same on dozens of occasions, but this was a first for me. I gave her my most vibrant smiled, thanked her for her kind offer and declined. We were headed in to the theater and wouldn’t be waiting much longer. Still, I was touched by the generosity of this  older woman’s kindness, in offering me her seat. It was a reversal of sorts for me,  that left an appreciation for how good and decent people are in general.

We much enjoyed the production. It was halted in mid-stream for an older woman who was in need of medical attention. Theatre  personnel helped the woman up the aisle and into the waiting hands of EMT personnel from a nearby Fire House. During the lengthy wait, the audience was both patient and subdued. All of us knew that each of us could easily find ourselves in a  similar situation.

The cast of actors, whose performance had been interrupted, were professional to the max. They picked up their performance where they had left off and finished this enjoyable production to loud applause from the audience.

As we left the theater, in a swirl of happy people all headed off for an early dinner or drinks, we had much to think about. The kindness of that gracious woman who had offered me her seat, the patience of the audience when one of us needed medical attention all added to the human drama of our experience. It also reinforced my appreciation for the goodness, decency and kindness of those around us. God Bless them every-one.

                                             -30-

                                      (441 words)

                              Joseph Xavier Martin